Tripartite occasion. The three-legged occasional tables can be made from steam-bent hardwood, or bent laminations. This example is made from steam-bent cherry and ebony inlay.
Steam-bending or bent laminations can be used to make this eye-catching design.
This table is part a series I revisit from time-to-time. The original idea for the series was inspired by a pinwheel. A common example is a child’s pinwheel that blows in wind. This shape allows you to repeat one design element multiple times and then attach them together. This is a very efficient way to make furniture. So far Ive made several different stools, cabinets and even massive boardroom tables based on the same pinwheel motif. Generally speaking, I come up with an idea then problem-solve how to do it, often relying on the well-documented history of furniture making in books and magazines.
For this table, I used a 25-year-old sketchbook. At the time I had completed a commission for stacking tables with n lacewood tops and steam-bent cherry frames. I came across several sketches in my design exploration that I felt had some value, but they didn’t work for this particular commission. I kept them aside for later use. When I’m looking for inspiration, my old sketchbooks will be my first stop.
After a few sketches, I created a full-size plan view to determine the radius of the curve. The rough mockup was then made from the sketch. The curves were simply cut from 2x4s of spruce and then glued and air-nailed together. After holding a leg at different angles, I quickly hand-cut the miter joint between the curves and the legs.
With the basic idea confirmed, I made a bending form that would accommodate both laminating and steam-bending techniques. I could then use exotic and domestic species. Here Ive made the table in air-dried cherry that has been steam-bent. If the table were to be made in an exotic wood or if only kiln-dried domestic wood were available, then laminating would be the appropriate choice. However, my preference is to steam-bend solid wood when possible so I can avoid cutting or shaping through the glue lines in a lamination.
The Full-size Drawing
After my sketches, I always draw each project at full size. The drawings are often pretty basic, but it does get me thinking about the relationships of the various parts before cutting and possibly wasting wood. The drawing board is also basic. To draw the lines, I used a piece of particleboard to support my sawhorses. Next, I laid some paper from a roll on a table. A beam compass or tension bows will draw the arcs. To confirm the shape, any part I make can be placed directly on the drawing.
For 35 years, I have been woodworking. Every project requires a full-size drawing that is rolled and alphabetically stored. This step is very important in my design and construction sequence. Some projects can even be built directly on top of the drawing. This drawing will assist in the creation of the bending form, two cut jigs and the drill jigs for the center joints.
How To Make The Form
The drawing provided the dimensions of the particleboard form. The curved sections are 1 in wide (side view), so I laminated three pieces of particleboard together to make a total of 2. The true radius for the arcs is 30 cm, so I made the form with a radius of 11. The inside face of a lamination is smooth whereas the inside face of a steam-bent piece may not be. When Im laminating I simply add a padding strip of hardboard to the form face. When steam-bending I can smooth out any imperfections along the inside and achieve the 30 cm radius.
If you are able to follow the line, draw the radius on your form. Or use a circular-cutting tool on the bandsaw.
Steam-bending
Ive used air-dried cherry for this table. In addition to steam-bending well, air-dried domestic wood is much more pleasant to work with hand tools and generates less fine dust when planing by machine. It is also less expensive. For 8/4 stock, I pay approximately €0.50 per foot (but it may be more expensive if it’s not available in my area). The bending blanks are 1 x 5 cm x 46 cm. If you are bending two at a time end to end, then the blank is 91 cm long.
You can have two parts at once. After bending for 10 minutes, the parts are taken out and secured with a wooden tie-bar. They will acclimate to the curve in about seven days. These are steam-bent woods, which have been air-dried.
Compression strap. Veritas compression band. The inside face must be put into compression for successful steam bending.
The steam-bent curved parts of the table taper in thickness and width along 46 cm. However, I prefer to bend parts that have been machined parallel, then cut the tapers.
I use a Veritas 5 cm-wide compression strap. In a nutshell, wood that has been steamed then bent around a form will always fail along the outside face. The wood fibers stretch then separate. The inside face of the wood can be compressed if it is secured with a strap and ends stops. The wood that has been steamed will shrink by a tremendous amount before it falls apart.
In this case, the double blank was 91 cm long when steamed. After bending, the outside dimension remained the same while the inside was compressed to 32. It is easy to remove the compressed blank using the adjustable Veritas End-stop Assembly. The bent parts are transferred over to drying jigs and left to set for at least five days (seven is better).
If bent correctly, the bent part will not remember anything else than its new form.
Or Laminating
The three identical curves on the top can be laminated. I use a fixed male and flexible female form. This makes clamping tapers easier.
For this application it is best to make tapered laminations so that when the outside curve is cut it doesnt run obliquely through the glue and laminations. This would compromise the finish in the completed table. To cut the tapered laminates, I use a bandsaw jig (see drawing). Each bent part has nine laminations. The thick end is , totalling 1, while the thin end is , totalling , or just over .
It is easy to reassemble laminations from the same way as they were when you removed the boards. Begin with two boards measuring 5 cm x 10cm x 46cm long. They have to be machined to the same dimensions so theyll fit in the jig. Because it hides glue lines, rift-sawn grain works best. The top and sides have the same grain configuration.
After each lamination has been band sawn, the boards are jointed and flipped end for end. This way the edges of the board remain parallel throughout the process of cutting the tapered laminations. Youll get two stacks of laminations from each board, with the grain match missing by a lamination. Tapering can cause wood loss on one side of the board if you don’t flip it.
Band saw & planer jig. The tapered laminate bows up to 120 cm when the shim is applied. The shim is attached to an end stop by tack glue and then flushed with a knife. The infeed rollers flatten the lamination so that it fits tightly against the ends stops. This avoids the laminations getting picked up and shredded by the planer.
After all the laminations are band sawn (all are band sawn on one face, jointed on the other face) the laminations can be passed through the planer on the same jig. A wonderful trick here is to tack-glue a slip of veneer to one end stop on the taper jig. The laminations will now fit only between the stops if they are bowed up slightly, about . The infeed and outfeed rollers will press the laminations until they fit between the stops. This will prevent laminations from being shredded in the planer.
To help distribute the clamping pressure, I add approximately 3 cm of padding strips on top of the lamination. These can be either additional laminations or hardboard strips. This distributes the clamping pressure and creates consistent glue lines. I clamp on the thick end, then move down the length.
A slow-set epoxy is best for exotic woods. My choice is System3, G2. For medium- or dark-colored domestic woods Ill use Franklin Titebond III. Franklin Titebond II is a high-solids white PVA that can be used for light woods. To make the PVA more rigid, add at most 5 percent cornstarch.
Form for lamination of particleboard. About 3 cm of padding strips (hardboard) and a flexible caul (with the stapled cross blocks) spread out the clamping pressure so the glue lines are perfectly consistent. Begin clamping at the thickest end, and then alternate clamps working towards the ends.
I spread the glue with a notched metal spreader.
This spreader deposits the perfect amount of glue too much would make a wasteful mess; too little would yield dry joints. With domestic woods, glue has to be applied to only one side of each lamination. Exotic woods should have both sides coated.
The three curved pieces should be joined and then planed to 1 in width, regardless of whether steam-bending or laminating.
Design Process
I started with very rough sketches on tracing paper. I looked on the web for glass tops and found an 46 cm-diameter -thick tempered glass top that was about the size I had in mind for this table. The shape of the table should dominate glass, so the legs were allowed to extend beyond the glass’s diameter.
To prove the concept in three dimensions I created a full-size mockup using the rough sketches. Then, I used the information from the sketches and the mockup to create an exact full-size drawing. The full-size drawing provides all the information needed to build the table precisely.
The full-size drawing was started with the size of the glass. I divided the circle in three parts by stepping off divisions around the circumference with the beam compass used to draw the circle. Six segments were created around the circle. I drew a line from the center to every other mark to define the three divisions.
The next decision to make was the size of the triangular center shape. I made a few different-sized circles, and then swung tangent arcs of different sizes. My full-size mock-up told me that the three curves, with a radius of 30 cm, should be tangent to a 4 diameter circle.
To find the tangent points, I divided the 4 circle into three segments. To find the centers of the arc of top rails’ inside curve, I made 30 cm radius arcs starting at these points. The outer curve of each rail is offset by the inner curve by a different dimension at each end. This includes the intersections of the curves in the middle, and the 1 where they meet the legs.
I picked the length of the curves where they overhung the glass by blackening out the ends of the lines with electrical tape until the size looked pleasing to me.
With the design decisions made, I darkened in the curved lines and radius points I was going to use in construction. The bending form and all of the joinery jigs relate to the arcs and radius points so there is no guesswork. Because I had a full-size drawing, I could confirm all my shapes by comparing them to the drawing as I worked.
The drawing became the repository for all of my sketches as I figured out how to build the bending form, the jigs to cut the joints, and the cauls used to clamp the parts together during final assembly. The drawing is more than documentation; it is a valuable tool that is essential to have during the building process.
The Joints
Cut-off jig. This table saw cut-off jig ensures the small end is cut square to the curve where it intersects a second rail.
To cut the pieces to length, I recommend using a table saw. The length can be marked on one of the pieces right from the drawing as can the configuration of the table saw jig to hold them.
You can use two jigs at once. The miter saw jig can be clamped to a shop-made mortising tool jig. A plunge router slides in a track and bores the mortise in the mitered face of the curved parts.
The curved rails taper in width, so the inlays on the joined edges at the center of the table dont meet (the glass rests on the outer edges of the rails). First, trim the thin end. This is the reference point for the miter cutting that is made on a mitersaw.
Center space. The center triangle shape is the center space between the curves. This shape is used for the curved parts. The blocks of hardwood are drill jigs. These holes were drilled on a drill press. The dowel holes in the parts are bored with a hand drill. The dowel holes are bored going in opposite directions through the same hole this way the dowel holes always line up. I used metric drills for this variation of the table because I constructed it where the metric system is widely used. This one jig drills the side dowel holes as well as the matching end dowel holes.
The miter joint has to be strong so Ive chosen to use a right-angled floating tenon. The curve and the corresponding leg at each joint have deep-bored mortises cut into the end grain. A right-angle Baltic birch plywood tenon that not only bridges the joint but penetrates both members is inserted.
Bottom up. Here is an underside view of the shop-made mortising jig with the miter saw cutoff jig and curved part clamped in place.
According to the rough mockup, the angle between the top curves and the legs should be approximately 86. The miter saw’s jig will hold the part of the miter saw at 43. Again, the drawing comes into play here. To identify the radius point of the miter saw, the cut must be square to the curve. The jig should be securely mounted on the miter saw. I drilled and tapped the miter saw fence years ago for this purpose. To ensure that the part is securely held during the miter cutting, hold-downs must be placed and coarse sandpaper should be glued to the jig surface.
The mitered curve. The position of the curve is drawn on a piece of particleboard. The full-size drawing has been copied. The thin end offcut from the table saw is placed against the stop. The miter saw is set for 43. Close to the miter cutting, a hold-down is required. To prevent the part from being pulled out of place during the cutting, a hold-down is required.
Once the miter cuts have been made, the jig can be moved over to your mortise jig. I made this jig from Baltic birch plywood and I use it when Im teaching in locations that do not have a mortise machine. This jig has been a great tool for cutting mortises.
Clean mortises. A two-flute aluminum cutting end mill, when mounted in a plunge router, cuts a clean mortise. These bits are inexpensive (approximately ) and are available from machine tool supply companies. Avoid three- and four-flute bits they dont like to plunge cut.
These mortise bits are used to mill aluminum. They are described as two-flute aluminum cutting end mills. These bits are extremely affordable and available in many sizes. This operation is performed with a high-speed steel bit measuring 10 cm in length and measuring -diameter. Woodcraft sells an adapter sleeve that will fit into a collet plunger. Light passes are best, plunging in only each time. A cautionary note, only the two flute bits will plunge, the three- and four-flute bits will not plunge.
The mortise is cut into the curve’s end so it should be closer to the curve. The mortise depth is 2.
Taper. Taper is a taper that is attached to the outside of each leg.
You can now do the triple dowel joint at the end of the curves. The mandrel is used to hold the parts during boring operations. Drill guides made of blocks of wood are drilled using a drill press to ensure that the holes are tangent with the curve. For your drill guides, choose a hard resinous material. To keep the drill square, the holes in each side curve and the end grain can be made by drilling through the block with a hand drill. This drill jig can last many years if you take care. The dowels should be placed closer to the center of the joint. This will allow the curved part, which is not flush with the intersection, to taper. Ive made some of these tables to be assembled by the purchaser, so the middle hole is actually a metal fitting while the two outside holes are dry dowel joints.
The leg blanks can be made next. This small side table is about 51 cm tall, the width of the leg blank is 1 and the thickness is 1. This extra thickness will allow you to fit the legs with your hands when they are joined to the top curves. Once the miter joint is cut and the mortise is deep bored, then the part can be band sawn to shape and tapered in thickness so the footprint at the floor is about square.
Scrape. Scrape.
Dry-fit your miter joint. Then, trace the contour of the miter curve onto your leg’s miter face. Concave on the inside, convex on outside. I use a stiff card scraper shaped to the concave face and a block plane to create the convex face on each leg.
Insetting The Ebony
First, inside. First, the inside corners must be completed.
After all the miter joints are flushed, the three components can be inlaid with ebony.
This is a two-stage procedure. The inside edges are done first. This way it is easier to get a perfect match where the ebony intersects. The outside edges can be finished once the joints are glued. It is much easier to align two ebony edges at once than four.
To thickness plane ebony strips. Each strip measures approximately 3 cm in width and 51 cm in length. I use a benchtop planer that has a fixed sled. I slowly rip the strips to on the band saw with a piece of hardboard underneath for zero clearance. This allows me to inlay lots of square ebony.
A shop-made rabbetting device. Some of the edges arent square where they intersect concave and convex surfaces. I have mounted small pieces made of tool steel in hardwood blocks to create the rabbets.
I use a rabbet bit on the router table to take some of the waste away then finish the rabbet with Stanley No. 66 beader and a shop-made beading tool that Ive fitted with a square piece of hard steel. To remove any oxidation, the ebony strips can be hand sanded using a hard block before being glued in place. This creates new, unoxidized glue faces. Slow set cyanoacrylate glue is laid in the rabbet and the ebony is clamped in place with tape and elastic bands. Accelerator is sprayed on a Q-tip and run along the joint. The ebony is flushed off with a card scraper. Avoid sanding, as the dust can be pushed into surrounding lighter-colored wood.
Sand is not a good idea. To flush the ebony, use a card scraper. Avoid sanding, as the dust would contaminate the surrounding light wood.
Assembling The Miters
Curve transfer. Transfer the concave curve from the apron to the leg.
I am very particular when gluing projects together. Something that went together well in a dry-fit may not be so cooperative when the glue is applied. When clamping angles or curves, I use glue blocks that provide perfect perpendicular pressure along the glue line. Pine cauls will be used in this instance. They have been glued with PVA to the surface. This ensures that the caul won’t slip as the clamp is tightened. It is easy to remove the pine triangles. Use Titebond III for domestic woods and epoxy for exotic woods (or if your joinery has a gap or two).
Assembling The Dowel Joints
Cauls. Cauls are used to clamp #100-grit Sandpaper to the curves. The clamping pressure must always be perpendicular to the glue line. From my full-size drawing, I was able to determine the shape and direction of the cauls.
This is where the key is to apply perpendicular clamping pressure. The three dowel joints must be assembled simultaneously. For this purpose, I created custom cauls that were faced with #100-grit Sandpaper. It can be hard to clean the corners so I dry-fit and then use Waxilit sparingly around the joint. Apply the glue and allow it to dry on the Waxilit. The hardened glue is easily removed. You can remove the Waxilit residue with denatured alcohol and your toothbrush. Waxilit has never adversely affected my finish. I have used it for over 15 years.
One final detail: Chamfer the feet about all around so the wood doesnt splinter when the table is dragged across the floor. The table base is finished in a satin lacquer, but oil can also be used. The top is tempered glass with a polished pencil edge; it sits on three sticky back plastic fish eyes meant to hold glass tops in place.
Website: View more Michael’s work on his website. Site: Find information about when Michael is teaching at Marc Adams School for Woodworking.
Michael is a well-known furniture designer and builder and woodworking instructor. He lives in Lakefield, Ontario.
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